Porsche Officially Ditching Diesel

Porsche has announced it will ditch diesel powertrains going forward. The move comes as little surprise as parent company Volkswagen Group attempts to distance itself from its 2015 diesel emissions scandal, which included Porsche products.

The German government still has an ongoing probe into Volkswagen diesel engines, which cause Porsche to suspend sales of diesel vehicles in Europe back in February. The investigation found that Cayenne’s diesel 8-cylinder engine was in violation of German and European Union emissions standards. Porsche later issued a recall of about 60,000 Cayenne and Mecan models in May.

“Porsche is not demonizing diesel. It is, and will remain, an important propulsion technology,” Porsche Chief Executive Oliver Blume said in a statement. “We as a sports car manufacturer, however, for whom diesel has always played a secondary role, have come to the conclusion that we would like our future to be diesel-free.”

Many European cities are wanting to be diesel-free as well, with several cities already imposing or at least proposing bans on diesel vehicles.

Porsche says the brand’s hybrid models are proving popular with consumers. Over 63 percent of Panamera coupe buyers in Europe are opting for the hybrid model, while the brand will roll out the Taycan, it’s first fully-electric vehicle next year.

The Taycan is part of a $7 billion investment Porsche is making between now and 2022 into electrified vehicles.

About Nick Saporito

AutoVerdict Senior Editor Nick Saporito began writing about cars at age 13. Nick ran a couple of automotive enthusiast sites for several years, before taking some time off to focus on his career and education. By day he's a marketing executive in the telecom world and by night he hangs out here at AV. You'll find him focusing on tech, design and the industry's future.